Why We’re Skipping the Holidays This Year

With coronavirus cases skyrocketing all over the United States, Dave and I have decided to make the hard decision to “skip” the holidays this year. We love going home to see our families at Christmastime. It’s one of the only times of the year where it’s acceptable for me to get away from work for a few weeks (it’s usually slow), and therefore, we typically make our visits to see our families a “big trip.” It’s sometimes the only time we’ll get home in a whole year.

And sure, it’s expensive getting flights around the holidays. And sure, it’s super stressful getting our schedules in order and planning and booking and getting all the gifts organized. And sure, we have to make arrangements for Boone. But every year we do it gladly. Christmas with family is one of those traditions we never take for granted, even if it does bring with it the feelings of chaos many tend to associate with this time of the year. 😂

I remember some years, in the days before online shopping, my mom being so frazzled with all the hustle and bustle that she’d declare “Next year we’re skipping Christmas!” And at times, I’ve felt the same way with all the extra responsibilities that pop up this time of year - from gift shopping, to endless holiday parties and events, and especially when it comes to flying with Boone - the airlines sure don’t make it easy anymore! 🐶

Well, this year, it seems we’ve finally gotten our wish. We’re really skipping Christmas, and Thanksgiving, and not because we want to. COVID-19 is still a real and serious threat, and though it sucks to have to make such a huge sacrifice, especially after an entire year of sacrifices and ‘staying home,’ we just can’t justify taking the risk. We couldn’t bear to inadvertently put our family members in harm’s way, and we don’t want to risk the safety of our community in Los Angeles, either. And more than that, we feel it’s important to lead by example. No one should ask others to do something that they wouldn’t do themselves, and in a time like this, the cooperation of everyone is required to make a meaningful impact in the fight against this virus. And we’re really so close. We can almost see the “light at the end of the tunnel” with the promise of a vaccine on the horizon. We’ve come so far, and we’re so close, and I really hope that we can all hold on just a little bit longer to protect our communities, and our jobs, and keep ourselves and our loved ones safe. 👬👫👭

And so, this year we’ll be making new traditions! It’s our first Christmas in Los Angeles, and it’ll be our first time getting a proper Christmas tree (not sure how it’s going to fit in this tiny apartment - but we’ll make it work ❤️)! We’re keeping our spirits high with a little bit of seasonal decorating, and by watching ALL the Christmas movies. We’ll be hanging stockings, and we’ll wear matching jammies, and we’ll be exchanging gifts here on Christmas morning over a cup of hot-cocoa and with a yule-log fireplace streaming on the TV instead of a real fire. And although we’re heartbroken to be missing out on time with our families, we can appreciate that sometimes the universe will give us a “break,” maybe even before we knew we needed it. So this year we’re trying to find gratitude for the opportunity to take things slow, and to have a new kind of Christmas - a small, simple, relaxing one - and to get to save ourselves lots of money on those expensive holiday flights as well!!

Hopefully by next year things will be back to normal. And we look forward to getting to visit home then, and picking up right where we left off with those old family holiday traditions. We look forward to hugs and closeness, and snuggles by the fire, and outings to the “Festival of Lights” at the Cincinnati Zoo, and to not being afraid of spreading germs when licking the spoon after we do the holiday baking! We look forward to plane rides, and to ditching our collection of hand sanitizer! Until then, we count our blessings, and we hope that you and yours will have a blessed holiday season too!

With love,

Tasha and Dave